Folding drawer-desk.



H" w T W W" m 1 E if, H E I In H HT 17' it) 55% f: Z I i "MW m5 r, l Wm WM 6 6,, WZfl/ZM PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906. A. G. HOUGH. Y FOLDING DRAWER DESK.

AP PLIOATIOKIILED DEG-8| 1906.

N 829,156. PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906.

. A. G. HOUGH. FOLDING DRAWER DESK.

APYLIUATIOK FILED DEILQ. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W M Q UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT GURNEY HOUUH, OF HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA.

FOLDING DRAWER-DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

Application filed December 8, 1906. Serial No. 290,973.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT GURNEY HOUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at High Point, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Drawer-Desks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, reference eing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in folding drawer-desks for bureaus, &c. and the object of the invention is to produce a simple and efficient device of this character which may be applied to a casing or cabinet, chiffonnier, or other article of furniture in the place of an ordinary drawer and have the appearance of the latter when closed within the casing.

The invention consists, further, in a folding drawer-desk so constructed that when it is withdrawn from the drawer-opening of a cabinet or casing and the desk opened means will be actuated whereby the desk may be held from being entirely withdrawn or pushed back Within the casing until the folding part of the drawer-desk is closed.

Another feature of my invention consists in the hinging of a drawer-front to the folding drawer-desk and which front is turned down out of the way automaticall as the desk is opened, and as the latter is cfosed the drawer-front will return to its normal position and give the external a pearance of the usual drawers which may )6 positioned in the cabinet.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front view of a cabinet or chiffonnier in which my improved folding drawerdesk is mounted. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the desk withdrawn and the folding part of the desk 0 ened. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view 0 the mechanism for locking the drawer-desk from being entirely withdrawn from the casin or from being returned Within the casing a 'ter being partially withdrawn and the desk opened. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the hinge connections of the folding drawer-desk. Ifiig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig 3. Reference now being he to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a casing or cabinet of any suitable style having the usual drawers B therein, and C designates a drawer-front which is adapted to be similar to the fronts of the other drawers and to give the a pearance of one of the series, but being the cnt of my improved folding drawer desk. Said front C is hinged at its bottom to the under section D of my improved folding drawer-desk and also having pivotal link connections with the folding portion D of the desk through the medium of the links E, which are pivoted at their inner ends to the blocks F upon the folding part D and also to the blocks C upon the reanface of the front C. The two sections D and D of my im proved folding drawer-desk are connected together by hinges H, the leaf of each hinge being preferably bent at right angles, as at H, and each fitted over an angled portion of the meeting ends of the two sections D and D, thus securely bracing the latter. To the ends of the folding section D are fastened the plates N, each of which has swivelly con nected therewith a guide-strap hfin which a supporting-arm 0 slides, the inner end of which arm is connected to a pivot O, which is fastened to the side of the section D, as clearly shown in the detail view of the drawings. The upper edge of the section I) of the folding drawer-desk is recessed or cut away and is'adapted to receive the folding part D when the latter is closed, whereby when the two are folded together their opposite edges will be in parallel planes.

Projecting from the face of the section D is a pin J, upon which the link I is pivotally mounted, and R designates a locking-arm of any suitable material which is pivotally mounted. at one end upon the pin L, mounted in the block L, and a spring P bears against said arm R and has a tendency to throw the same and also the link I away from the outer face of the section D. The free end of the arm R has a projection R, forming a hook which is adapted to engage the inner edge of the post A of the casing or chiffonnier to prevent the drawer-desk being entirely withdrawn from its easing when the folding part of the desk is opened out. Said arm R also serves as a means to prevent the desk bein r pushed back within the casing by the angled end of said arm coming in contact with a strip R secured to the inner face of the end of the casin it being understood that the means descri fied is afforded to prevent the return of the drawer-desk to a position within 1 the cabinet or casing or the entire with drawal of the desk when the folding part of the desk is opened, it being required to first close the folding part before it is possible to return the drawer-desk to its position within the casing or to allow for its entire removal from the casing. Said arni is so positioned with relation to the link I that when the folding part I) of the desk is closed overupon the recessed part 1) the inner face of the arm 0 bearing against the outer face of the link I will cause the latter to be thrown toward the face of the section D, and as the link I is pivoted to the arm it the latter will also be thrown back under the tension of the spring P in contact with the outer face of the section D, which will throw the angled projection R upon the arm ,R and said link I clear of the strip R on the casing, thus allowing the folding drawer-desk to be pushed back into the casin with the folding face (I of the desk Hush with the face of the casing to allow the drawer-desk to be entirely removed, if desired, without being unfolded.

While I have described an apparatus as applied to one side of the drawer, it will be understood that each side of said drawer is equipped with sin'iilar apparatus.

From the foregoin it will be observed that by the provision o my improved folding drawer-desk the same may be applied to any of the places occupied by the usual drawers of a cabinet, chilfonnier, or other article of furniture, and may have a straight front or oval or other form. to correspond with the usual drawers and have the appearance of an ordinary drawer-front when closed within the casing and may be positioned within the easing at such a location that the desk will be at a convenient height for a person while sitting or may be placed above, so that a person may use the desk while standing.

hen the folding section of the desk is opened out, it will be securely braced and held by means of said arm 0, which is pivoted at its inner end to the section D and is fulcrumed over the upper edge of the outer end of the section I), as shown clearly in the sectional view of the drawings. The folding part is also braced by a portion of the under surface thereof resting upon the block or projection to which the hinges are connected, which fasten the folding front to the section D, thus affording a rigid writin -surface which will bear any reasonable weig it which might come upon the same incident to its various uses.

What I claim is 1. In combination with a drawerdesk adapted to be mounted in an ordinary bureau, casin or chiffonnier, &c., and having the externa appearance of the other drawers, means for preventing the entire withdrawal of the desk or its return within the casing while the folding part of the desk is opened out, and a drawerfront carried by said desk and adapted to fold down as the desk is openel'l, as set forth.

2. In combination with a drawer-desk adapted to be mounted in an ordinary bureau, casing or chiffonnier, &c., and having the external appearance of the other drawers, means for preventing the entirewithdrawal of the desk or its return within the casing while the folding part of the desk is opened out, and a drawer-front having hin econnections with the stationary and follling sections of the desk-drawer, as set forth.

3. In combination with a drawer-desk adapted to be held in an ordinary drawer- 1 opening of a casing or cabinet, means for preventing the desk from being entirely withdrawn or returned within the casing while the folding part of the desk is opened, a drawer-front hinged to the stationary part of the desk, and a link pivotally connecting said drawer-front to the folding part of the desk, said front designed to turn down underneath the folding part of the desk as the latter is opened, and to close over the hinged portions of the desk as the latter is closed, as set forth.

4. In combination with a drawerdesk adapted to be held in an ordinary draweropening of a casing or cabinet, means for preventing the desk from bein entirely withdrawn or returned within t ie casing while the folding part of the desk is opened, a drawer-front hinged to the stationary part of the desk, links pivotally connecting said drawerfront to the folding part of the desk, and supporting-arms pivotally mounted upon the stationary part of the desk and slidingly connected with the folding part of the desk, said arms adapted to be fulcruined over the hin ed edge of the stationary part of the desk w ion the folding part thereof is opened, as set forth.

5. In combination with a drawer-desk adapted to be held in an ordinary draweropening of a casing or cabinet, means for preventing the desk from bein entirely withdrawn or returned within tie casing while the folding part of the desk is opened, a drawer-front hinged to the stationary part of the desk, links pivotally connecting said draweefront to the folding part of the desk, supporting-arms pivotally connected to the stationary part of the folding desk, and swiveled members mounted upon the folding part of the desk and throu h which said arms are guided, the under e gas of said arms adapted to be fulcrumed over the hinged edge of the stationary part of the desk when the desk is opened out, as set forth.

6. In combination with a drawer-desk adapted to be held in an ordinary draweropening of a casing or cabinet, means for pre venting the desk from being entirely with- ICC drawn or returned within the casing while the folding part of the desk is opened, a drawer-front hinged to the stationary part of the desk, links pivotally connecting said drawer-front to the folding part of the desk, supporting-arms pivotally connected to the stationary part of the folding desk, plates fixed to the folding part of the desk, and a swiveled member mounted upon each of said lates and through which one of said arms has a play as the folding part of the desk is opened and closed, the under edge of each arm desi ed to be fulcrumed over the hinged e ge of the stationary part of the desk to support the folding section of the latter when opened, as set forth.

7. In combination with a drawer desk made up of two sections which are hinged together and ada ted to fold one upon the other and when olded to occupy the space of an ordinary drawer of a casing or cabinet, a folding drawer-front having pivotal connections with the desk, arms pivoted to the stationary part of the desk and having a sliding pivotal connection with the folding part thereof, a spring-pressed desk-retaining member pivotally mounted upon the stationary part of the desk, and a link pivotally connecting said retaining member and stationary part of said desk, said link being positioned in the path of one of said arms, which connect the two sections of the desk, and so arranged that when the folding section of the desk is turned back, said retaining member and link are thrown. toward the side of the desk to allow the latter to be pushed within the casing, as set forth.

8. In combination with a drawer-desk made up of two sections which are hinged together and adapted to fold one upon the other, their opposite faces when folded being in parallel lanes designed to lit the draweropening of a casing or cabinet, a folding drawer-front having hinge connections with the stationary section of the desk, arms pivotally connected to the stationary part of the desk and sliding pivotal connections with the folding part of the desk, desk-retaining members, each pivoted to a side of the stationary part of the desk and each having an angled end, a spring serving to normally throw each of said members away from the desk, and links each pivotally connecting the stationary part of the desk with one of said desk-retaining members, the inner faces of said arms connecting the two sections of the desk adapted, as the foldin part of the desk is closed, to bear against tie outer faces of said members and cause the latter to be thrown toward the end of the desk, as set forth.

9. In combination with a drawer-desk comprising a stationary and a folding section, a hinge, the wings of which are angled and fastened over shouldered portions of said desk-sections, links pivotally connecting the stationary and folding parts of the desk, a drawer-front hinged at its lower edge to the stationary part of the desk and having pivotal link connections with the folding part of the desk, and pivotal arms mounted upon the stationary part of the desk and having sliding connections with the folding part of the desk, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT GURNEY HOUGII.

WVitnesses:

J. E. WooLLEN, J. M. GRAY. 

